


A Tale of a Tail

by StorySongs



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: -Ish, Character Study, No not like that get your mind out of the gutter, Rin uses his tail to his advantage, first work in this fandom, or don't that's cool too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 21:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1662668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StorySongs/pseuds/StorySongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most demons hide their tails, defending their weak points; Rin learns to turn his to an advantage instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tale of a Tail

Unlike most demons, Rin was never taught to hide his tail in a fight. He had no idea how much of a weak spot it was, how painful and distracting it was to have it pulled. Most of the things he fought, after all, weren’t intelligent enough to take advantage- and certainly no _human_ had ever tried to touch his tail!

So his weak point was always available… but it gave him an advantage, too.

It’s something the other students took notice of soon after his true nature was revealed to them; with his tail out, Rin was very difficult to unbalance. No matter what crazy contortions or acrobatics his opponent forced him to, nine times out of ten he landed steadily on his feet, ready to face the next strike. Just for fun they tested it one weekend, making Rin run an acrobatic course both with his tail free and immobilized; they found that having it tucked away _dramatically_ inhibited his performance, and Yukio stopped insisting that he learn to hide it when fighting. Instead, he helped him turn it to an advantage.

He had learned to guard his tail quickly after that fight with Amaimon;  they later discovered that most demons could be goaded to attack his tail instead of a more vital spot, thinking he was unexperienced and vulnerable, and he used it to his advantage more times than he could count. The more intelligent demons seemed angry and almost insulted that Rin would dare keep his tail in view, waving it in their faces like a flag, and their rage made them vulnerable to slip-ups and mistakes to exploit. His kill count steadily increased.

Later in life, both the twins and Mephistopheles laughed themselves sick when they realized that all the Gehenna-produced artwork of Rin showed him fighting with his tail proudly on display, which had before always been used as a symbol of weakness or inexperience; he had turned it into a sign of defiance and strength, a statement that he didn’t _need_ to hide his weak spots to defeat his enemy. Single-handedly, Rin had turned an entire _tradition_ on its head.

Yukio just sighed and remarked that it was entirely like his brother to turn something he had been mocked for into one of his greatest strengths.

And, privately, he began to practice fighting with his own tail free.

**Author's Note:**

> I only recently finished the Blue Exorcist anime and I'm slowly working my way through the manga, so please forgive me if something seems out-of-place. 
> 
> First work in this fandom, and also my first work posted to AO3! Woohoo!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> -SS


End file.
